Hot Bed

Hot Bed, without the cheekpieces that he had worn on his previous five runs, ran a career-best in a hot renewal of the Clipper Logistics handicap over a mile at York last Thursday. More than that, however, he can probably be marked up a fair bit on the bare form of the race, as he probably did really well to get as close as he did from the rear in a race that was won by Mont Ras, who made all the running.

Held up one from last by Ryan Moore, with only habitual hold-up horse Smarty Socks behind him, he just took a while to get going and he was still in the final trio with two furlongs to run. He picked up well from there, however, despite having to come through traffic. He looked booked for fifth or sixth well inside the final furlong, but he finished really strongly, surging at the leaders late on to take third place on the line. He did by far the best of those horses who raced at the rear third of the field.

The David Wachman-trained gelding has a fast ground action and he rattled home on this quick ground once he hit top gear. He been racing in small fields at home this season and, ironically, despite the 16 runners here, they still didn’t go that fast a pace. Had Mont Ras been taken on for the lead or had the pace been stronger, Hot Bed would probably have got even closer than he did, and he may well have even won.

Sir Robert Ogden’s horse will be interesting now in a fast-run handicap, and he could well improve for stepping up to nine or 10 furlongs on this evidence. His dam was a dual listed winner over 10 furlongs in France, and his half-sister Alsace Lorraine, who was at her best on good or fast ground, was a listed winner over that trip.

A son of Dashing Blade, has won twice from three runs at Dundalk, he obviously handles Polytrack well, so he would be interesting in a big handicap at Ascot, a track on which form on Polytrack is an asset and which can favour hold-up horses.